QUAKERTOWN STONY CREEK PASSENGER RAIL RESTORATION BUSINESS PLAN submitted to Bucks County Transportation Management Association submitted by Gannett Fleming, Inc. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania January 2006 QUAKERTOWN-STONY CREEK BUSINESS PLAN TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION.........................................................................................1 PROJECT BACKGROUND ...........................................................................1 Prior Studies......................................................................................2 Recent Developments.........................................................................3 Federal Funding Authorization....................................................3 Revised Project Description ..............................................................3 Proposed Service..........................................................................4 Patronage & Revenue Forecasting..............................................5 Rolling Stock ................................................................................6 Infrastructure................................................................................8 Operating costs..........................................................................13 FEDERAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR FTA-ADMINISTERED GRANTS ...............................................................................................................14 Certifications and Assurances..........................................................14 New Starts Criteria..........................................................................15 FTA Project Development Process..................................................15 Alternatives Analysis...................................................................16 Preliminary Engineering............................................................17 Final Design ...............................................................................17 Project Governance..........................................................................17 ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES...................................................................19 Existing Organization......................................................................19 New Nonprofit Corporation.............................................................19 Purpose.......................................................................................20 Organization...............................................................................20 Staffing........................................................................................20 Start-up Procedure for Nonprofit.............................................23 NEXT STEPS............................................................................................25 Organizational Steps........................................................................25 Project Development Steps .............................................................25 Coordination Steps...........................................................................25 QUAKERTOWN-STONY CREEK BUSINESS PLAN Page 1 INTRODUCTION The Bucks County Transportation Management Association (BCTMA) anticipates continuing as the public sponsor for the restoration of Quakertown-Stony Creek passenger rail service. Federal authorization was recently received to develop plans and designs for the service. This business plan documents the project background, reviews requirements for federal grant recipients, and outlines an action plan of the steps necessary for the BCTMA to administer those funds as an approved public sponsor. PROJECT BACKGROUND The Quakertown-Stony Creek Passenger Rail Restoration Project involves two SEPTA-owned railroad lines: • SEPTA Stony Creek Line, an 11-mile former Reading Company line that extends from Norristown to Lansdale through Montgomery County. At the south end, the line connects to the SEPTA Norristown Line at “Elm” (immediately south of Elm Street Station). At the north, the line connects to the SEPTA Main Line at “Dale” (immediately south of Lansdale Station). • SEPTA Bethlehem Line, a 28.1-mile former Reading Company line extending from Lansdale through Montgomery, Bucks, Northampton, and Lehigh Counties to Hellertown. At the south end, the line connects to the SEPTA Main Line, Doylestown Line and Stony Creek Lines at “Dale." NS Lehigh and Reading Lines in South Bethlehem). It At the north end, the Bethlehem Line extended another was recently proposed to be abandoned by NS. 4.4 miles to the Lehigh Valley. This segment was retained by the Consolidated Rail Corporation (Conrail) NS, CSX Transportation (CSXT), and the East Penn and ultimately conveyed to the Norfolk Southern Railways Inc. (EPRY) presently operate freight train Corporation (NS). It was designated by NS as the service over both portions of both lines as far north as Saucon Running Track for a short distance between California Road in Richland Township, Bucks County Hellertown and "Lehigh" (the connection with the (north of Quakertown). Philadelphia, Bethlehem & New England Railroad), Intercity passenger rail service over the Bethlehem Line and as the Bethlehem Secondary Track between was discontinued in 1961. Commuter rail service was "Lehigh" and "CP Bethlehem" (the connection with the maintained between the Lehigh Valley and Philadelphia QUAKERTOWN-STONY CREEK BUSINESS PLAN Page 2 under the auspices of the Southeastern Pennsylvania 1982. A succession of SEPTA's long range plans Transportation Authority (SEPTA) until July 1981, when identified the need to restore passenger rail service between PennDOT operating assistance for rail services outside of Lansdale and Quakertown starting in 1987. SEPTA's jurisdiction was withdrawn. Service was In 1997, the Lehigh and Northampton Transportation maintained between Quakertown (the last station within Authority (LANTA) undertook the Amtrak Thruway SEPTA's jurisdiction) and Lansdale until August 1981, Bus/Lehigh Valley Connections to Philadelphia Rail when SEPTA abandoned all non-electrified commuter rail Service. It investigated the market feasibility of commuter service over a work rules conflict with Conrail crews. rail service between Allentown and Philadelphia. The The Stony Creek Line, in contrast, saw limited study concluded such would be cost effective. passenger service and that was abandoned in 1936. The LANTA study was followed in 2000 by the Passenger traffic between Norristown and Lansdale Quakertown-Stony Creek Rail Restoration Study, primarily used the and more frequent competing rail undertaken by Bucks and Montgomery Counties in service offered by the interurban trains of the Lehigh conjunction with the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Valley Transit Company (LVT). LVT operated high- Commission (DVRPC). That study recommended a speed electric train service between Allentown and Upper commuter rail service starting from a park-ride lot Darby via Quakertown, Lansdale, and Norristown, closely alongside PA Route 309 in Shelly, Richland Township, paralleling the Stony Creek and Bethlehem Branch Lines. After interurban train service was abandoned in 1951, LVT and its successors operated bus service over the route through the early 1970s. SEPTA Route 96 and 132 buses have served the corridor as far north as Telford since 1978. PRIOR STUDIES Attempts were made to restore passenger rail service north of Lansdale almost as soon as it was abandoned. PennDOT, in conjunction with Bucks and Montgomery Counties, tried unsuccessfully to restore service under Act 10 in QUAKERTOWN-STONY CREEK BUSINESS PLAN Page 3 Bucks County (about 21 miles north of Lansdale). mobility within and around the Bucks County area by Commuter rail service would operate between Shelly and managing transportation demand, assisting in the Center City Philadelphia through Bucks and Montgomery improvement of the existing transportation infrastructure, Counties via the SEPTA Bethlehem, Stony Creek and and positively affecting the development of a Norristown Lines. transportation network. Operating Quakertown trains via Norristown rather than FEDERAL FUNDING AUTHORIZATION the historic route via Jenkintown provides a new cross- In August 2005, President Bush signed the Safe, county connection linking Upper Bucks and North Penn Accountable, Flexible, and Efficient Transportation Act – communities with the employment and commercial centers A Legacy for Users (SAFETEA-LU) authorizing the of the Norristown/King of Prussia area. Trains would federal transportation program for the next six years. operate non-stop between Norristown and Philadelphia, Section 3043 (Project Authorizations for New Fixed offering competitive travel time for Center City Guideway Capital Projects) of the Act authorized commuters. preliminary engineering for Quakertown-Stony Creek (PA) The Quakertown-Stony Creek Rail Restoration Study Rail Restoration among 264 other projects nationwide in concluded that a commuter rail service to Center City Fiscal Years 2005 through 2009 under paragraphs (1)(A) Philadelphia through Norristown would attract between and (2)(A) of Section 5309(m) of Title 49, United States 4,200 to 6,800 weekday passenger trips, 47 percent of Code. 2 whom would be new transit riders (2,000 to 3,200 The latter reference is to a section of the federal weekday passenger trips). Capital costs associated with transportation statute commonly known as "Section 5309 implementing this service were estimated to be about New Starts" (49 USC 5309). It is